


Doppelgänger: A Sherlock & Anna Vignette

by MizUndahStood



Series: The Doctor, The Detective, & A Behaviorist [7]
Category: Benedict Cumberbatch - Fandom, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: 221B Baker Street, Asexuality Spectrum, Clueless Sherlock, Curious Sherlock, F/M, Female Character of Color, For Science!, In Character - Out of Canon, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Romantic Friendship, Sexual Content, Sherlock Gives a Gift, Sherlock Holmes and Experiments, Sherlock Holmes and Feelings, The Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-04-26 19:57:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5018329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizUndahStood/pseuds/MizUndahStood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna waited impatiently on the sofa as Sherlock wheeled a covered object down the hall from his bedroom into the sitting room of 221B. He unveiled it proudly, and with a touch of dramatic flair. </p><p>Sherlock's grand reveal rendered Anna completely speechless. She canted her head, and stared blankly as she attempted to formulate a reply.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doppelgänger: A Sherlock & Anna Vignette

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot is technically longer than a vignette. Sexually suggestive. May not be safe for work. 
> 
> After settling in back in London after “Reading Week”, Sherlock and Anna have a very frank discussion about where they stand, and how they got there. Includes mentions of Sherlock's drug use, though not in detail.

 

Sherlock and Anna are hunched over the glare of multiple laptop screens in the sitting room of 221B.  
They were watching Lestrade interview a suspect in an ongoing case while Anna was giving Sherlock a few pointers on reading micro-expressions.

"No! Look there... Go back about twenty seconds, Sherlock." Anna pointed to the screen nearest her as she made her request. "Play it back in slo-mo. Blink, and you'll miss it." 

Sherlock carefully rewound the footage, and leaned in to observe what he'd not seen previously. 

"It goes by very quickly, but you can see it. When Lestrade asked him about the location of the murder weapon, he narrows the corner of his left eye, quirks a slight grin, tilts his head, and chuckles a bit. Look at the rise and fall of his chest." she remarked. "And look at his Adam's Apple. It bobs ever so slightly. Do you see?..."

Sherlock knit his brow and gave a knowing nod.

"He's being smug, Sherlock. He knows about the weapon and I'd wager he knows where it was disposed of. Cagey bastage, he's not telling."  
"I'd not caught any of that, Anna. Good pickup. Absolutely brilliant, in fact. Any recommendations?"  
"Yes... Text Lestrade and advise him place the perp in a holding cell with an informant. He's itching to tell someone, just not us." 

As requested, Sherlock fetched up his mobile to send a text. Lestrade replied with a single emoji, which made Sherlock roll his eyes in disgust. 

"What was that look, Wils?" Anna asked in a playful singsong.  
"Damned emojis. Rue the day they were invented. Plain lazy, if you ask me." He huffed petulantly.

Sherlock slammed each of his laptops shut unceremoniously, sat back on the couch, and shoved the coffee table away with his foot. He then leaned away from Anna, resting on his elbow with his face in his hand.  
"Anna?" he rumbled.  
"Uh-oh. Epic deduction or unfiltered mental meanderings ahead, in 3... 2... 1...."  
"I hate that you can do that. Though I must admit, in most ways, your powers of perception are extraordinarily spot on."  
"Here comes the BOOM!" Anna chuckles.  
"Well, for someone with such a keen sense of observation, that skill set seems woefully lacking in your day to day dealings, Anna." 

Anna canted her head and stared blankly as she formulated a reply. She's sure that the comments to follow were not randomly generated or product of an unrestrained stream of consciousness, but rather the conclusion of deliberate thought. Her curiosity having been piqued, she closed her eyes, raised her chin and took a deep breath before wading in.  
She'd always allowed Sherlock a judgment free zone to air his thoughts, and this interaction would be no exception to their unspoken rule. _Buy the ticket, take the ride_ she'd always thought.

"I have the sense that there's something you'd like to share with me, Wils. Out with it! No mucking about. Let's call a thing a thing." Anna stated very matter of factly.

"Well... take me, for instance?" The intonation of Sherlock's voice was that of a question, but his body language indicated that he was forming an opinion.  
"I'm not too sure you've seen or observed the effect your friendship has had in my life. Never actually thought that I could... I mean, that I'd find... Sod it. I have something that I want to show you, Anna. I'm sure this will explain things better than I could ever express them aloud." 

Sherlock sprang from the sofa, and sprinted down the hall to his bedroom.  
She could hear the door to Sherlock's wardrobe open and close, along with the sounds of muttering, grunting under strain, and fabric rustling.  
Anna closed her eyes trying to imagine what Sherlock could possibly have in store for her. She scratched her head and shrugged, then pulled her legs into lotus and settled in to wait for Sherlock's big reveal. 

Sherlock wheeled a covered object down the hall and into the sitting room in a plush leather office chair. He proudly unveiled the object with his usual over the top dramatic flair. What Anna saw in front of her left her completely speechless. Her jaw went slack, and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hands. Sherlock pouted, and furrowed his brow as he took in her wide eyed bewildered reaction. 

"Sher... Sherlock? What the literal fuck is that?" She wondered aloud and shook her head while struggling to make sense of the object before her. 

"I had it made just for you. It's erm... It's me. In silicone. And, as you can see, it's very life like. Touch it..." He wheeled the object closer in a bid to coax her into becoming familiar with it.  
"Oh my God, Sherlock. You had a custom Real Doll torso made? For me?! Bloody hell. I don't even know where to begin with this."  
"Touch it. I mean, him. Erm, me..." He urged.  
"I... I dunno about that." She protested, but leaned in for a closer look. "Wow. It has every mole and freckle. Omigosh Sherlock! The scars. And the bullet hole, too..." Anna was nearly frozen in utter amazement.

"And, um the... Uh... Is that accurate too?"  
She tried not to gawk openly as she inquired about the generous, uncomfortably lifelike protuberance standing proudly at attention, jutting unashamedly from the crotch of Sherlock's silicone torso.  
"Yes. Only off by about half a centimeter or so in length, less than that in overall girth. Otherwise I'd say it's quite accurate."  
"Sherlock? What would prompt you to create something like this? I just... I can't even with this."  
"It seemed a good idea. And because I wanted to learn from someone whose observations I trust implicitly, what it might feel like to be intimate with me, without having need to participate directly in the act itself."  
"But Sherlock, it doesn't work that way. Do you not understand that?"  
"No. Not really." He shook his head.

"Ohhh, Sherlock." Anna chortled. "Making love isn't just a matter of inserting flap ‘A’ into slot ‘B’. It's so much more than that.”  
"So I gather."  
"Do you really, Sherlock?"

  
[](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-10/68C0B953-E63A-404E-8F9E-EEDAE7EC9E37_zpsllyornzd.jpg.html)  


 

He shrugged and shook his head. 

"Sex is... " Anna tilted her head, and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "Well, it's sexy, Wils." she shrugged. "It's sticky, hot, passionate, and poignant. It's tactile. It demands use of all your senses. Your warmth. Your taste. Your smell. And that yummy voice of yours. No matter how well crafted, those are things a silicone doppelgänger cannot provide."

"Sounds febrile, indecorous, and unsanitary."  
"Oh... God, YES!" Anna cooed. "Isn't it hateful?" She laughed out loud.

Sherlock winced and shuddered dramatically.

"What's that face about, Sherlock?"  
"Why are human mating habits so... Complicated?"  
"Mating habits? Oh my."  
"WOT!" Sherlock shrugged.  
"That statement alone is proof that you need to get..."  
"Get _what_ Doctor Eberhardt?" Sherlock interrupted.  
"Hugs, Sherlock. You need more hugs in your life. Human contact is necessary for survival."

Sherlock closed his eyes and shook his head ruefully. Though he didn't want to be having this conversation, he found himself actively participating in the ebb and flow of it. Perhaps Anna was right. Chatting to her was much more interesting than blathering away while the skull silently held court.

"I think you may have made a valid point. Until John became my flat mate, alone was all I had. I'd thought that being cooly aloof protected me from dealing with messy, pedantic emotional entanglements."  
"And before John, there was my addiction. Drugs were much easier than people. No mindless chatter, no emoting, or untidy exchange of bodily fluids - just the rush."  
"For a time, it seemed perfect. Ideal, even. Until it became perfectly clear that I wasn't living, but merely existing. Mycroft and Lestrade put me right, and helped me find myself again. Interestingly, being clean has had a myriad set of demands all its own."  
"Abstaining from your substance is only part of recovery, Sherlock. Emotional sobriety is often overlooked..."  
"Too right, Anna. For a long time, it was part of the picture I had gladly given short shrift."

Sherlock stood gripping the back of the office chair tightly as he spoke. His fingers made small indentures in the soft leather, and his knuckles turned red, then began to pale.

"That's when I became a Consulting Detective. It allowed me to hide in plain sight. Behind my... How do you put it, Anna? I quite like the expression."  
"Bespoke armour?"  
"Yes. How aptly put. You have such an interesting turn of phrase."  
"Thanks, Sherlock."

Sherlock smiled, almost shyly. If you looked close enough, you might've sworn he was blushing just a little, too. Such was the effect Anna had on Sherlock's transport. Without pretense, agenda, or manipulation, Anna had awakened a part of him he barely knew existed. And though he is thoroughly befuddled by her, he is fascinated in equal measure.

 

"I have a question, Wils... Have you never been physically intimate with anyone before?"  
"What are the parameters of 'physically intimate'?"  
"I dunno, the usual I s'pose. The aforementioned flap 'A' into slot 'B'."  
He quirked his chin, pressed his lips together tightly, and furrowed his brow as he considered his answer.

"Once or twice at Uni." He confirmed, albeit noncommittally.  
"Okay. Deets, please?"  
"The courting phase was quite a drawn out affair. But thankfully, except for a few exploratory assignations - it was over before it began."  
"Why? What happened to you?"  
"The attraction was intense. Both physically and emotionally. Unfortunately, I was roughed up a bit, and Mycroft found it necessary to extricate me from the situation. He took things to an unfathomable extreme. We've been on a bad footing ever since."  
"Thank you for your honesty, Sherlock. That can't have been easy for you to share."

"Not generally, Anna. But, absent judgment - I do find it somewhat freeing to lay myself bare in this instance."

Anna screwed her eyes shut, and bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing out loud, but a giggle and a small snort got away from her.

"Sorry, Wils. 'Lay yourself bare', huh?"  
"Yes, Anna. I, erm... Ohhh, yes I see..." Sherlock shook his head and shrugged.  
"Gawd, Sherlock... There aren't many secrets left are there?" Anna gestured toward the silicone torso seated in the office chair.  
"Well, a few. But not many." He winked.  
"There's something more, though." Anna queried. "Something we're glossing over. What about Janine? And the Adler woman? You were intimate with them, weren't you, Sherlock?"  
"Though Janine and I shared a bath or two and a few uncomfortable instances of genital frottage; we never erm, closed the deal. That is the expression, isn't it?"  
"Yes." Anna nodded, in disbelief.  
"Besides, my involvement with her was solely for _The Work ___. I never developed an emotional bond of any sort with her. Means to an end. Full stop."  
"And the Adler woman?"  
"I was overtaken by a flood of hormones and chemicals that betrayed me by confusing my transport. She was a worthy adversary, I'll give her that. But, it's you, Anna..."

Sherlock sauntered over to the sofa as he spoke. He took a place next to Anna as he continued. He sat slumped forward, elbows on knees, face in hands.  
"I've not quite been able to get you sorted, Anna. I find myself utterly discombobulated by your very presence."  
"I'll accept that as a truth because it was offered with such unvarnished sincerity, Sherlock."  
"You're always banging on about speaking one's truth. I've humbly offered you mine. And quite true to the axiom, find my voice quavering a bit..."  
"We're sharing an interesting emotional journey, aren't we?"  
"Indeed we are. Wouldn't trade nothin' for it."  
"Paraphrasing Maya Angelou, Wils?" Anna smiled.  
"Yes. Seemed perfectly apropos to add that bit."

Anna reached out toward Sherlock's nose with her forefinger.  
"Oh no, Anna!"  
"Oh yes, Wils..." She giggled as she tapped the querulous man on the end of his nose. "BOOP!"  
Anna tucked her hair behind her ears, and smiled sweetly at Sherlock.

"We're being honest with each other, aren't we, Sherlock?"

He nodded.

"You could barely tolerate me except under controlled circumstances when I arrived in Baker Street, Sherlock. I know a lot has changed, but there's something else. Something we're tap dancing around, yes? This about John and me, isn't it?"  
"Not entirely. It's about the effect you've had on my transport, Anna" Sherlock paused briefly to gather his thoughts.  
"It's about the myriad ways your constancy and friendship have enriched me and perplexed me, simultaneously."  
"Okay." she nodded. "Let's go with that..."  
"For reasons I have yet to fathom, you drift in and out of my Mind Palace at will. The way your scent lingers in the air just a bit after you've left a room has very occasionally inspired musings too carnal to admit."

A lovely shade of fuchsia began to colour Anna's cheeks as she listened to Sherlock speak. It wasn't the words themselves that held her in thrall, but the rich, nearly creamy timbre of his voice that captured her attention.

"And, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that largely due to your persistence - I eat at least one meal a day, whether I care to or not."  
"I'll not apologise for topping off your transport now and then. I care for you, Wils. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy helping you maintain your brain and its carrying case. But I do feel that a mea culpa on my part is in order."  
"For?..." He crinkled his nose, and quirked his chin.  
"For a fundamental misunderstanding of something that makes you quintessentially Sherlock."  
"What might that be?" He smirked. Do tell..." He carded his fingers through his hair, and gave it a ruffle before leaning back to steeple his fingers.  
"Your sexuality, Sherlock."  
"Really?" Sherlock raised and lowered his brow quizzically.  
"Absolutely, Sherlock. As a behaviorist, I am loathe to admit that my knowledge of asexuality was not just inadequate, but woefully out of step with current theory. I think that point of departure is what got us here. And for that, I offer my deepest most sincere apology, Sherlock."  
"No need to apologise, Anna. It's down to me, I'm afraid..." Sherlock sighed. "Had I been less recalcitrant, and better able to express myself in a traditional manner, our relationship might have gone in another direction."

"So many missed opportunities, Wils. Hmm?..."  
"Like what?"  
"How come you've never woken up with me, Sherlock? I thought that we'd handled our sleeping arrangements rather well. Head to foot. Our bums don't even touch. So, please... Tell me what sends you scampering away before I wake up."  
"My transport continues to fail me. On every occasion, Anna." He conceded.  
"I can't lie awake, watching you sleep with your foot under my chin or your backside turned toward me while I'm in a partially tumescent state. I simply opt to remove myself in order that my condition be addressed privately."

A flood of competing emotions clouded Anna's usually calm facial expression. Though she understood perfectly well what Sherlock had just shared with her on a strictly intellectual basis, she found herself grappling emotionally with his disclosure.  
Anna pulled her legs up in front of her, hugged her shins, and pressed her forehead to her knees. 

"I hardly know what to do with this, Sherlock." She mumbled.  
When she raised her head, her eyes were full of unfallen tears. She blinked the tears away, and wiped the apples of her moistened cheeks on her knees. "All this time, you've been attracted to me? I don't understand why you've never told me before now, Sherlock. Did you think that I'd judge you, or make fun of you? I thought you trusted me." She sniffled.  
"My own limited experience with relationships of any sort has irretrievably coloured my thinking in this regard. The first time you made tea for me, you made a blindingly brilliant observation. You told me that I sublimate all of my feelings of love and pain and loss into The Work." Sherlock offered.

"I'm an addict, Anna. I consume people. And things. Though it is my usual tendency is to engulf them whole, I do find that dissecting things into palatable bits suits me just fine. Long story, short... It's not you - it's me."  
"But if you'd told me..." Suddenly, Anna's eyes darkened. She glowered at Sherlock for a moment before continuing her train of thought. "Nice try, Wils. You almost had me."  
"I don't under..."  
"I call bullshit." she huffed.

"One kiss, Sherlock. Not full on tonsil hockey, but a simple kiss on the lips. Just one - and I'd not have given John a second glance. He's had similar concerns, and I've told him that it was squarely settled by our first kiss."  
"Sealed with a kiss then, was it?"  
"I guess you could say that, Wils."  
"Watching from the friend zone as you and John drew closer to each other has left me a bit crestfallen, Anna. Not that you've ever failed to include me in your activities, as appropriate. But, I've quite grown to realise that things might've turned out differently had I found my voice sooner."

Sherlock had an uncharacteristically maudlin air about him as he spoke that Anna knew was not an affect or contrivance. This had a profound effect on her, and showed in how tenderly she responded to his revelation.  
"I am absolutely stunned by your honesty right now, Sherlock." 

Anna turned the office chair towards her, fashioned a toga on the torso with the drape, then turned her attentions back to Sherlock.  
She slid down the couch, and drew Sherlock into a hug. He welcomed the gesture, and returned it as thoughtfully as it was offered. Anna laid her head on Sherlock's shoulder, and began to weep softly. He sweetly cradled the back of her head as he slowly ran a hand up and down her arm to soothe her.

"Anna? What's this about? I'm unsure how to respond."  
"You're doing fine."  
"But, I'm not doing anything extraordinary."  
"Oh, Sherlock... You are too many things right now." Anna blinked away her last few tears, looked up at Sherlock and smiled lightly.  
"Are they good things? We both know that sentiment is not generally found in my wheelhouse, Anna." 

"Shut up, Sherlock."  
"Silence would indeed be a good thing right now."  
"Just... hush."  
"I will endeavor to do just that." He nodded thoughtfully.  
"Surely, you aren't trying to have the last word?"

"I assure you, I am not. And don't call me Sherly..."

  
[ ](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/2015%20-%20October/9E89AF12-D0B9-413F-AAAA-78344897A329_zpszvilnowj.jpg.html)

**Author's Note:**

> Real Doll Torso? It's a thing:  
> [](http://s1375.photobucket.com/user/Miz_UndahStood/media/92C5711C-F3D6-46F5-9A5A-C886FD9DE5A4_zpsp9amc1gt.jpg.html)
> 
>    
> Lots of good info found here:
> 
> The Importance of Emotional Sobriety  
> http://www.promises.com/articles/addiction-recovery/emotional-sobriety/  
> (Link included for information only. *Not* an endorsement of services)
> 
> Signs of Emotional Sobriety | tian dayton PhD  
> http://www.tiandayton.com/signs-of-emotional-sobriety
> 
> Overview | The Asexual Visibility and Education Network | asexuality.org  
> http://www.asexuality.org/home/?q=overview.html
> 
> The "Doctor/Detective/Behaviorist one-shot collection is only somewhat linear, and might return to "Reading Week Adventures" to fill in narrative gaps. 
> 
> Sherlock and Anna's sleeping habits are mentioned in “Nighty-Nite: A Sherlock & Anna Vignette” http://archiveofourown.org/works/3379595/chapters/7392902  
> Not Beta'd or Brit Picked. (Editing/Revising on the fly) 
> 
> Damn you autocorrect, I'm tired of your shirt... :-/


End file.
